Howl's Moving Castle
by Hayao Miyazaki
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DVD details
Actor: Akihiro Miwa, Chieko Baisho, Ry?nosuke Kamiki, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya GashuinDirector: Hayao Miyazaki
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: John Lasseter
Producer: Ned Lott
Producer: Rick Dempsey
Producer: Tomohiko Ishii
Writer: Diana Wynne Jones
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled)
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-07
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Howl's Moving Castle
DVD Review: Well done, but sometimes I wonder if Miazake read the book.
Summary: 3 Stars
You see, I LOVED the book. It's one of my favorites, right up there with Hollow Kingdom, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Chrestomanci. So I had high hopes for the movie. And it was good. But several things bothered me.
~*~SPOILER WARNING FOR BOTH MOVIE AND BOOK BEYOND THIS POINT!~*~
#1: In Jones' world, the simple fact is, there isn't any technology. Yet some of the first scenes in the movie show street cars, trains, airplanes, etc. That would have ruined the quirky little scene in which Howl, Sophie and Michael visit Wales and ride in a car, if not for...
#2: In the book, the black setting on the door leads to Wales, which is where Howl used to live, until he somehow got to the fairytale land. In the movie, it leads to...I'm not sure what. I *think* it leads to the air above Sophie's town. But I'm not sure. There seems to be a lot of fire and bombs. Which leads me to...
#3: In the book, the main plot is Sophie trying to break Howl and Calcifer's contract, while they try to escape the Witch of the Waste and the curse she put on Howl. I know, confusing. Though not as confusing as Shakespeare. But I digress. Anyhow, in the movie, Howl spends most of his time not hunting girls (including Sophie's sister) as he does in the book, but turning into a winged bird-thing and stopping planes from dropping bombs. The Howl I know wouldn't do that-- he'd run away at top speed.
#4: Names drove me crazy. In the book, Sophie had two sisters, Lettie and Martha. Howl fell in love with Lettie. Michael, his fifteen-year-old apprentice, fell in love with Martha, who was under a glamour that made her look like Lettie, and so was calling herself Lettie as well. Also, Howl was taught by a lady named Mrs. Pentstemmon, who is later killed by the Witch. And the royal wizard is named Wizard Suliman. The movie ignored most of this. Martha disappears. Michael's name becomes Markl and he loses about seven years of his age, making him around eight. Mrs. Pentstemmon steals Wizard Suliman's name(he's vanished too) and becomes evil. I was so confused. And finally...
#5: The Moving Castle is a bug. A giant mechanical bug. In the book, it's a castle that floats. In the movie it's a bug.
All in all, I liked the movie, but it seemed more like a reliving of Hiroshima than a movie about Howl, Sophie, and all my other friends from Ingary.
DVD Review: I don't know what this is?
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this for my 14-year old daughter and have no idea what it is or what it's about. She likes this kind of stuff so that's all that matters to me.DVD Review: Fabulous for Family
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of our favorite family movies - Even though it is animated the whole family will enjoy it and the wonderful detail in animation and imagination.DVD Review: Grandchildren loved this movie....
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchase this because our granddaughter who is 7 yrs old starting watching it with her friend on t.v and they were mesmerized for the entire time. We ask her if she would like to have the movie and she said yes. It is hard to find good things for our kids and grandkids to watch these days so anytime we have the opportunity to buy something that is worthwhile for them to watch we do. Savannah tends to watch movies more than once when she really likes them so having it on hand gives her the motive to watch it at her convenience.
Meme of Little Rock, AR
DVD Review: Outstanding Miyazaki Film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Walt Disney Home Entertainment presents a Studio Ghibli Film. Just writing that gets my blood pumping a little faster with excitement. This is a treat of a movie; a sweet and humorous ride. Howl's Moving Castle has a perfect blend of action, humor, emotion, and sheer imagination to please most viewers.
The story is about an eighteen year old girl, Sophie, the eldest of two sisters. She considers herself to be plain, and her life and attitude reflect it. She has no spark or interest in anything beyond doing her dull duty to her dead father's business. Her sister, on the other hand, has a sparkling, well-loved personality and beauty to go with it. Enter the mysterious young man, Howl, who rescues Sophie early in the film. This begins to awaken longings in Sophie, and angers a witch, voiced by Lauren Bacall, who desires Howl's heart. In retribution, the witch curses Sophie, making her into a 90 year old woman. The older Sophie is excellently voiced by Jean Simmons, who gives her character the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability.
Ironically, after getting over the shock of what has happened to her, Sophie begins to really live, and starts to experience life. For the first time she sees the beauty around her. What a joy this film of hope and awakening love becomes! It is a story of an odd assortment of some lonely, isolated characters that are desperately searching for love and a place to belong.
Calcifer is delightfully voiced by Billy Crystal--who is utterly perfect for the role--and is so cute, if he wasn't a glob of fire, I'd want to hug him. Christian Bale voices Howl in a masculine, powerful way.
The movie needs more than one viewing to understand all the nuances of the story. It is deep on more than one level, and so much fun. The animation is first class; very beautiful and detailed. My goodness, the details!
The violence of war is seen in repeated bombings of cities, but there is no gore. There is no nudity or offensive language, though there is magic, and a few images of peril or "monsters" that might frighten little ones.
This is one of Miyazaki's finest works that I highly recommend.
Description of Howl's Moving Castle
In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling and richly detailed animation. (c) 2004 Nibariki . GNDDDTLike a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. --Charles Solomon
The Many Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki
 The works of Miyazaki |  The Book |  The Art of Howls' Moving Castle (book) |
Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image)
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